The generic antihistamine dimenhydrinate is available under different brand names such as Dramamine. It is used for the prevention of various forms of motion sickness, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting.
In addition to that, it is a decent dream modulator, although – based on anecdotal evidence – the experience it generates in this regard is often less than desirable.
As far as being used as an anti-emetic, dimenhydrinate is a fairly run-of-the-mill drug. It is recommended that you take a dose 30 to 60 minutes before traveling and you should be OK.
Its side effects are where the “fun” begins. You need to be aware of these side effects if you ever decide to use it as a dream enhancer. Some of these effects might be scary.
Drowsiness is definitely not a scary side effect. Blurred vision on the other hand may onset with surprising intensity, based on anecdotal user reports. Constipation is less pleasant as well and so is the dry throat/mouth that some users have mentioned.
Please note that some dimenhydrinate users have reported breathing difficulties after the drug began to act.
Given that it is a fairly modern product of the pharmaceutical industry, it is safe to say that dimenhydrinate does not have any traditional uses.
Dimenhydrinate Sleep Effects & States of Consciousness
The dimenhydrinate trips reported by some users entailed such intense hallucinations that the subjects had difficulties telling whether they were asleep and dreaming or awake and hallucinating. With that in mind, it is somewhat difficult to limit effect reports on dreams alone.
In most cases, the reported trips were triggered by massive doses of Dramamine, or other dimenhydrinate-based drugs. In at least one case, a user reported having taken 18 pills, equaling some 900mg of active substance.
At any rate, dimenhydrinate trips have been likened to temporary mental retardation and designated as “unlike anything else.”
It is unclear from user reports whether such massive doses of the compound really did help bring about lucid dreams…
Apparently, to give your lucid dreaming a push, a smaller dose (4+ pills of Dramamine for instance) may be required.
With such lower doses, some users have indeed had success with lucid dreams. A lower dose induces a sort of dreamlike state of mind, akin to how wake initated lucid dreams (WILDs) begin.
From that point on, all the user needs to do is to close his/her eyes and relax. Slipping into a lucid dream is very likely at this point.
Users who have experimented with dimenhydrinate for lucid dreaming have reported outstanding results when they mixed a little bit of alcohol into the equation. If you are not an alcohol drinker, this is obviously not an acceptable path for you. It is somewhat dubious for alcohol drinkers too, to mix things up with a drug as potent as dimenhydrinate.
Another lucid dreaming-related recommendation is to not try to stay up after taking dimenhydrinate. Not only is such an exercise a tedious one, it will not stave off dreaming. It will on the other hand ruin the lucid dreaming experience.
A person who tries to stay awake with dimenhydrinate in his/her system, will slip into a dream-like state anyway. Instead of dreams however, he/she will be met with hallucinations, over which it is impossible to exert any kind of control.
The same is not true for the lucid dreams induced by the substance. Apparently, dreamers can exert perfect control over these.
Dimenhydrinate for lucid dreaming is a real option.
While the compound is not addictive (unless one gets addicted to the lucid dreams it triggers), it is possible to overdose on it, so care should be exercised in that regard.
The main danger of dimenhydrinate use seems to lie in the fact that during hallucinations and lucid dreams, it is almost impossible to discern between what is real and what is not. While this may seem like an asset in a lucid dream, during a dimenhydrinate trip, it is quite impossible to tell whether you are in a lucid dream or an elaborate hallucination.
Some people have reported acquiring superpowers within their dreams and hallucinations. They also reported being tempted to try out these superpowers within the dream, but possibly, also in real life. Such an exercise cannot end well.
Some users have even reported sleepwalking episodes while under the influence of Dramamine.
The conclusion in regards to dimenhydrinate use for lucid dreaming is: be mindful of how you use it.
The Bottom Line: Dimenhydrinate Sleep
- Keep your dosage on the lower end of the spectrum. Higher doses seem to push the experience into the realm of uncontrollable and scary wakeful hallucinations.
- Do not make an effort to stay awake. Just close your eyes, relax, and drift away.
People who have reported unpleasant trips on the substance have almost always used massive doses.
How to Use Dimenhydrinate for Sleep
The substance does not require any preparation on the part of the user. It is a modern drug, which can mostly be acquired OTC at the pharmacy.
Just take the pills the same way you would if you were using them to stave of nausea before traveling. Be mindful of the fact that besides Dramamine, dimenhydrinate may be available under different brand names too, in different concentrations.
Dimenhydrinate Dosage for Lucid Dreaming
Dosage is one of the most important parts of successfully using this antihistamine for lucid dreaming. As mentioned, lucid dreaming requires lower doses.
What exactly does a low dose mean?
If you stick to Dramamine, some 4-5 pills will likely suffice. Some users may require more, based on their body weight. Obviously, there are no official recommendations in this regard.
For intense wakeful hallucinations, higher doses are apparently needed. Some people reportedly took as many as 20 Dramamine pills.
It looks like 600mg to 900mg of dimenhydrinate is enough to trigger massive hallucinations in some people. This means between 10 and 20 Dramamine pills however.
It is possible to overdose on the substance, so going overboard by this much is definitely not recommended.
Conclusion: Dimenhydrinate Sleep
Several scientific studies have found that hallucinogenic substances trigger experiences with a high semantic similarity to dreams. That would explain why dimenhydrinate works as well for lucid dreams as reported.
It may also explain to a certain degree why the wake initiated lucid dreaming method works as well.
If you are going to use dimenhydrinate for lucid dreaming, just remember to stay on the safe side dosage-wise. This approach is walking a really fine line between heaven and hell…
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